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All the insurance companies I've looked at require a business plan in order to issue a quote. However, to complete the plan, I need some idea of what to expect in insurance costs. Classic chicken and egg, I guess.

Anyway, I'm looking for general ballpark figures. We'll have an annual output of around 1000 bbl. Any help would be great! Thanks.

Call "The Hartford" Companies. They have a customized plan for breweries already in the books and had very competitive rates.
Service Center # in San Antonio, TX: (866)467-8730
Good Luck
Lance@Jergensen Brewing

Give Shirley Dean a call at Whalen Insurance: 800-235-0355. I called when I was first developing my business plan and she was able to provide a ballpark figure based on square footage and estimated barrelage. On the high end, she said $5,000 to $7,000 for coverage of property, premises liability, liquor liability, equipment breakdown, and event liability (for a reasonable amount of events per year; for example 4 or 5 PR events). She also said an additional $3,000 per year for workman's comp coverage. Now, I'm starting a microbrewery - not a brewpub. The coverage, I assume, would be higher for a brewpub, but it's worth calling Shirley to find out. She's a nice lady.

Actually, I just looked and found a PDF of their buyer's guide that details their coverage much more than I can. Email me and I'll send you what I've got. I still encourage you to call Shirley. Really, she's a nice lady.

If you are going to have a taproom or host events on premises your insurance likely will not be very different because you'll need the same serving and premises coverage.

With any insurance coverage I would suggest contacting multiple insurers directly as well as several brokers. Let them compete for your business, not only on price but also in terms of coverage. An insurance policy that doesn't adequately protect your assets is worth far less than what you are paying for it. The last thing you want to do is have to see your fermentors get auctioned off to pay a claim because somebody was injured in your parking lot and your insurance coverage was insufficient.

Insurance Quotes

You may also want to try Nick Henja at AHM Financial Group. They also have a plan custom developed for craft breweries and provide insurance to both large and small craft breweries. Nick can be reached at 314-523-8810. Nick is a craft beer enthusiast and will treat you right. Tell him Gary from Prindiville & Associates said to call. (Don't worry, I don't get a commission for referrals, this is a totally objective referral. He's done a great job for many of my clients. Most of the craft breweries in the St. Louis area use Nick.)